Victor P Taffa

For the second time in my life some people in both the New South Wales (NSW) Labor Party and NSW Police have overseen my forced hospitalisation in the Parkview Unit, Macquarie Psychiatric Hospital, North Ryde, Sydney.

Assessment of Mental Health Patients

Patient Patrick* told me that he has been “In and out of Macquarie Hospital 11 times over the last 3 years. My family hate me and want to keep me in Hospital.”

My family and in particular my parents do support me however it would appear that the NSW Mental Health System is designed to keep people in and rehabilitation is an afterthought.

Punishment it would seem is the only method of rehabilitating patients and the mentally ill in the Prison system could possibly be worse off. Various comments made to me during hospitalisation backs up this view.

Perhaps family members should have NO say as to when patients are discharged. Similarly the same body that admits you to a Mental Health Hospital should not also be involved in the patient discharge plans. There are other Hospital wards whereby Nurses can be drawn from and a uniform set of questions with answers charted on a graph that would give better information and more positive cognitive responses that is currently the case.

There is a lack of funding of Mental Health in NSW. There should be a Minister for Mental Health and Inebriates patients admitted into General Hospitals and placed in Inebriates Wards.

All Hospitals in NSW should have same sex wards and thus abolish mixed wards. Patients and Nurses have made this comment to me over the course of various hospitalisations since 2007.

Thursday 22 April 2010

Patient Patrick* said “The Mental Health Act says that you have to see a Doctor every 3 days and that never happens.” Patrick* has family who never want him released and he is a good example of the failings of patient care in Mental Health in New South Wales.

The Mental Health Act allows for an order to be made to bring a person to a Psychiatric Hospital. The people or body who admit you should not have a say in your discharge. Independent persons with a detached view should make the determination on your state of mind.

Other issues in Parkview Unit included:

• Parkview Unit Building requires painting.
• Television remote control was missing a battery.
• Ward shower was out of order.
• Ward toilet hand basin leaked water on the floor due to lack of maintenance.
• Ward bathroom exhaust fan was ineffective and moisture never leaves the room.

Mental Health and all mentally ill patients are discriminated against especially if you also have HIV. Emphasise in Mental Health is that Court Hearings, Tribunals, Magistrates and discharge papers and medication are not readily available. References are made to ‘Delegates’ in a CTO.

All this process merely reinforces and compounds the stigma in society against those with a mental illness.

With ‘Normal’ illnesses discharge papers and medication are handled in a professional manner and readily available.

The CTO that was made out for me is as follows:

Community Treatment Plan 13 May 2010 Page 1

Community Treatment Plan 13 May 2010 Page 2

Community Treatment Plan 13 May 2010 Page 3

Community Treatment Plan 13 May 2010 Page 4

There are a number of other issues that require discussion relating to some people in society and Mental Health.

Had I never contested Public elections it is highly unlikely that I would ever have been placed in a Psychiatric Hospital. It is obvious that some people in both the NSW Labor Party and NSW Police are bigoted, racist and homophobic against me personally. In a perfect world everyone likes everybody. Had Sir Winston Churchill been locked up in a Psychiatric Hospital Great Britain would never have won World War II.

When the history of the NSW Labor Government from 1995-2011 is written it will be noted for only two achievements: Placing Victor P Taffa in Macquarie Psychiatric Hospital in 2003 and 2010.